Method and system for Bluetooth HID activity prediction for wireless coexistence throughput optimization

ABSTRACT

A host device may be enabled to support a plurality of wireless interfaces, wherein some of these interfaces may be utilized to support human interface device (HID) based communication. The host device may be enabled to monitor activity of HID devices based on communications via HID capable wireless interfaces, may predict future use of the HID devices based on the monitoring, and may manage sniff communication that is utilized to track and/or detect activities in the HID devices. The management of the sniff communication may comprise adjusting characteristics of the sniff communication to enable improving throughput of other wireless interfaces available via the host device that may be affected by the sniff communication. The adjustment of the characteristics of sniff communication may comprise adjusting, statically and/or dynamically, length of sniff intervals and/or designating of sniff packets as high priority requests.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 13/525,913, filed Jun. 18, 2012 and which will issue as U.S.Pat. No. 8,600,427, which is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 12/187,557, filed on Aug. 7, 2008, which issued asU.S. Pat. No. 8,204,533 on Jun. 19, 2012, all of which are incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable].

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable].

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for Bluetooth HID activity prediction for wirelesscoexistence throughput optimization.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The field of wireless communication has seen dramatic growth the lastfew years. In today's world, most people use their wirelesscommunication devices, for example mobile phones, for various purposes,business and personal, on a constant and daily basis. Society is trulybecoming a wireless one as a lot of wireless solutions have beenintroduced, and have made tremendous strides into everyday's life.

Mobile phones have become a near absolute necessity in today's world.While mobile technology originally evolved from traditional land-basedcommunication technologies, and was merely intended to add an element ofmobility to the traditional telephony service, this technology has grownbeyond that initial purpose. Many modern mobile technologies, includingsuch technologies as GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, and CDMA2000, incorporatesubstantial data capabilities. Most of today's mobile services comprisesuch features as text messaging, audio/video streaming, and webbrowsing. Modern mobile devices, for example cell phones and/or smartphones, may be utilized to support additional services via otherwireless interfaces, for example, wireless personal area networks (WPAN)and/or wireless local area network (WLAN) interfaces.

The use of wireless personal area networks (WPAN) continues to gainpopularity in a great number of applications because of the flexibilityand convenience in connectivity they provide. WPAN systems generallyreplace cumbersome cabling and/or wiring used to connect peripheraldevices and/or mobile terminals by providing short distance wirelesslinks that allow connectivity within very narrow spatial limits(typically, a 10-meter range). WPAN may be based on standardizedtechnologies; for example Class 2 Bluetooth (BT) technology.

While WPAN may be very beneficial for certain applications, otherapplications may require larger service areas and/or capabilities. Tosatisfy such needs, other technologies have been developed to providegreater wireless service. Wireless local area networks (WLAN) systemsmay operate within a 100-meter range, for example. In contrast to theWPAN systems, WLAN provide connectivity to devices that are locatedwithin a slightly larger geographical area, such as the area covered bya building or a campus, for example. WLAN systems are generally based onspecific standards, for example IEEE 802.11 standard specifications, andtypically operate within a 100-meter range, and are generally utilizedto supplement the communication capacity provided by traditional wiredLocal Area Networks (LANs) installed in the same geographic area as theWLAN system.

Some WLAN systems may be operated in conjunction with WPAN systems toprovide users with an enhanced overall functionality. For example,Bluetooth technology may be utilized to connect a laptop computer or ahandheld wireless terminal to a peripheral device, such as a keyboard,mouse, headphone, and/or printer, while the laptop computer or thehandheld wireless terminal is also connected to a campus-wide WLANnetwork through an access point (AP) located within the building. Also,mobile technology may allow use of the mobile phone as a form ofwireless modem that allows connecting a laptop, for example, to theinternet via a mobile network.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention asset forth in the remainder of the present application with reference tothe drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method is provided for Bluetooth HID activity predictionfor wireless coexistence throughput optimization, substantially as shownin and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, asset forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentinvention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, willbe more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a host device utilized tocommunicate with a human interface device (HID) and a wireless localarea network (WLAN), which may be utilized in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary communicationsystem in a device that enables signal management and switching betweena Bluetooth (BT) and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) RF transmission andreception, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A is a flow chart that illustrates sniff management in a systemthat supports HID capable wireless interfaces, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a flow chart that illustrates management of other wirelessinterfaces in a system that supports sniff communication via HID capablewireless interfaces, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a method and systemfor Bluetooth HID activity prediction for wireless coexistencethroughput optimization. In various embodiments of the invention, a hostdevice may be enabled to support a plurality of wireless interfaces,wherein one or more of these wireless interfaces may be utilized tosupport human interface device (HID) based communication with HIDdevices. The host device may be enabled to monitor activity of the HIDdevices based on communications via HID capable wireless interfaces andmay predict or determine future use of the HID devices based on themonitoring. The host device may be operable to manage sniffcommunication which may be utilized in the host device, via availableHID capable interfaces, to track and/or detect activities in the HIDdevices.

The management of the sniff communication may comprise adjustingcharacteristics of the sniff communication to enable improvingthroughput of other wireless interfaces available via the host device.The dependency between the HID capable interfaces and the other wirelessinterfaces may be based on proximity of the frequencies used to transmitand/or receive via the wireless interfaces. The HID capable interfacesmay comprise wireless personal area network (WPAN) interfaces, which maycomprise Bluetooth interfaces. The other wireless interfaces maycomprise wireless local area network (WLAN) based interfaces, which maycomprise WiFi interfaces. The adjustment of the characteristics of sniffcommunication may comprise adjusting, statically and/or dynamically,length of sniff intervals and/or designating of sniff packets as highpriority requests.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a host device utilized tocommunicate with a human interface device (HID) and a wireless localarea network (WLAN), which may be utilized in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a hostdevice 102, a human interface device (HID) 104, a wireless network 106,a distribution network 108, an access point 110, a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) link 112, a wireless personal area network (WPAN) link114, and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) network 116.

The host device 102 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or codethat may enable performing one or more tasks requested via users of thehost device 102. The invention may not be limited to a specific device,but may comprise for example, a general purpose processing device, aspecialized processing device, a specialized peripheral device, orsuitable hardware, firmware, software and/or code, which may be enabledto perform a job requested via users of the host device 102. Forexample, the host device 102 may also enable personal communication,audio/video recording and/or playing, gaming operations, and/or variousother tasks, which may be requested via the host device 102 by a user.The host device 102 may be enabled to communicate with one or more ofsupported wireless and/or wired networks while performing tasksrequested via the host device 102 for example. A user of the host device102 may utilize the host device 102 directly, via supported userinterfaces within the host device 102, and/or indirectly via availablenetworks and/or via other devices, such as the HID device 104, which mayinteract with the host device 102 via a communication interface, forexample the WPAN link 114. Exemplary direct supported user interfacesmay comprise touchscreen input, audio input, and hardware and/orsoftware keyboard input. The host device 102 may also comprisefunctionality that may enable utilizing one or more of availablenetworks, to connect to available devices and/or resources for example.The network connectivity may be achieved, for example, via one or morewireless communication interfaces, including, for example, WLANinterfaces, which may be operable to provide connectivity tocorresponding networks and/or devices.

The HID device 104 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or codethat may enable performing some functionality in conjunction with theuse of the host device 102 based on human interactions. For example, theHID device 104 may comprise a wireless capable computer mouse that maybe utilized, in conjunction with the host device 102 to facilitatedcommunicating user's input based on the mouse spatial coordinates. Thehost device 102 may interact with the HID device 104 via one or more PANinterfaces, which may be based on wired and/or wireless PAN protocols.For example, the host 102 may communicate with the HID device 104 viathe WPAN link 114. The WPAN link 114 may comprise a communication linkthat is based on a standardized protocol for inter-device short rangecommunication. For example, the WPAN link 114 may correspond toBluetooth, ZigBee, and/or Ultra-Wideband (UWB) connections between thehost device 102 and the PAN device 104.

The wireless network 106 may comprise the distribution network 108, aplurality of the access point 110, and suitable logic, circuitry and/orcode that may enable implementing a functional block corresponding toone or more wireless technologies. Exemplary wireless technologies maycomprise for example the Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) protocol, other IEEE802.11 based standards, and/or the Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX, IEEE 802.16) architecture. The distributionnetwork 108 may comprise suitable hardware, logic, circuitry, and/orcode that may be enabled to operate as a backbone network that may beresponsible for transport and link functionality for a plurality ofaccess points in the wireless network 106. The access point 110 maycomprise suitable hardware, logic, circuitry, and/or code that mayprovide access network to the wireless network 106 for wireless capabledevices, for example the host device 102. The WLAN link 112 may comprisea communication link that is based on a standardized protocol forwireless local area network communication. For example, the WLAN link126 may correspond to WiFi and/or WiMAX connections between the hostdevice 102 and the access point 110.

The GNSS network 116 may comprise a plurality of orbiting satellitenodes in a global navigation satellite system, a plurality of land-basedsupport entities, and may also comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/orcode that may enable communication with land-based devices, for examplethe host device 102 and/or the HID device 104, via satellite links toprovide, for example, navigational capabilities. The GNSS network 116may comprise, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) basednetwork, a GLONASS based network, and/or a Galileo based network.

In operation, the host device 102 may be utilized to perform one or moretasks requested via users of the host device 102 and/or the HID device104. For example, the host device 102 may enable personal communication,playing and/or recording audio/video streams, and/or may be utilized asto perform data processing and/or storage. The host device 102 may alsoenable connectivity via a plurality of available communicationinterfaces, which may be necessary to perform requested tasks. Forexample, the host device 102 may utilize the WLAN link 112 to access thewireless network 106 via the access point 110 and the distributionnetwork 208, via WiFi and/or WiMAX connections for example. The hostdevice 102 may also receive satellite navigational signals, from theGNSS network 116 for example, to enable performing positional relatedtasks. The host device 102 may be utilized via the HID device 104, whichmay be enabled to communicate with the host device 102, for example, viathe WPAN link 114. The HID device 104 may be utilized to communicate, tothe host device 102 via the WPAN link 114, requests and/or commandsinputted by user of the HID device 104. Because use of the HID device104 may not be continuous, the host device 102 may comprise afunctionality to enable tracking of, and/or detecting of use of the HIDdevice 104, via ‘sniff’ communication for example.

Host devices, for example the host device 102, may set up ‘sniff’communication to enable checking for and/or detecting of activity byusers via HID devices, for example the HID device 104. Sniffcommunication may comprise various characteristics, including, forexample, length of sniff intervals and/or designation as high priorityrequests, wherein sniff based communication may be may nominally be setto high coexistence priority. This is because sniff transactions withHID device, such as a mouse for example, need to typically beprioritized higher than other data communication performed via wirelessconnections, such as web-browsing for example, since missing receptionand/or transmission of packets from/to the HID device, may result indegraded performance of the HID device, for example a “sluggish” and/or“jerky” movement of mouse cursor on a screen where the HID device may bea wireless mouse, deleteriously affecting the user experience. The hostdevice 102 may, for example, setup sniff intervals of about 12.5 ms topoll for activity by the HID device 104. The host device 102 may alsodesignate sniff packets, which comprise packets communicated at end ofsniff intervals, as high priority exchange traffic. Sniff packets thatare designated as high priority exchange may, where other transmissionand/or reception operation may be performed via sufficiently proximatebandwidth and/or frequencies, preempt such other communication. Forexample, because transmission and/or reception of Bluetooth and WiFicommunication is performed around the 2.4 GHz bandwidth, non-HID sniffrelated packet communication in the host device 102, including, forexample, packet communication via the WLAN link 112, maybe adverselyaffected due to transmission of sniff packets via the WPAN interface114.

Transmission of high priority request sniff packets every 12.5 ms mayaffect the WLAN throughput since these sniff packets may be transmittedin lieu of WLAN based data packets, where the sniff packets may bedesignated as high priority requests. The use of HID devices, however,may be inconsistent and/or sporadic, wherein bursts of activity by usersof HID devices, for example, may be inter-spaced with long periods ofinaction. Accordingly, the use of constant sniff intervals with strictlyhigh priority request transmission may be inefficient and/orunnecessary. While effects on throughput of other, non-HID related,communication may be remedied by simply denying the HID-related highpriority sniff requests, this may degrade prosperity of use of the HIDdevices as actions attempted by the user may be missed during times thesniff requests are being denied.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the characteristics ofsniff communication may be modified by host devices based on predictionof future use of HID devices, via HID based wireless interfaces. Theprediction may be determined based on monitoring current activity of theHID devices, via the HID based interfaces. For example, where the HIDdevice 104 may comprise a wireless mouse, the characteristics of spatialmovement of wireless mouse to determine said current activity and/orsubsequent activity of wireless mouse. Exemplary characteristics of thespatial movement may comprise speed and/or acceleration of movement ofsaid wireless mouse. The host device 102 may be enabled to modify, forexample, the length (duration) of sniff intervals and/or the highpriority request designation. The host device 102 may be enabled toextend the sniff interval to be greater than 12.5 ms to reduce potentialinstances of interruption to other, non-HID related communication. Thehost device 102 may also be enabled to only designate some of the sniffpackets as high priority request communication, wherein transmission ofother packets via non-HID based wireless interfaces may not necessarilybe preempted by transmission of sniff packets when these sniff packetsare not designated as high priority requests. In another embodiment ofthe invention, similar modifications and/or adjustments may be performedon other types of communication, based on the Bluetooth protocol, whichmay be utilized in polling and/or interaction with HID devices. Forexample, similar modifications and/or adjustments may be made whenutilizing Bluetooth low energy based communication via a host device tointeract with and/or poll HID devices that may be located withinBluetooth low energy range of the host device

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary communicationsystem in a device that enables signal management and switching betweena Bluetooth (BT) and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) RF transmission andreception, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referringto FIG. 2, there is there is shown a communication system 200, a mainprocessor 202, a memory 204, a baseband processor 206, a plurality ofantenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b, a Bluetooth RF transceiver 210, a WiFi RFtransceiver 212, a WiMAX transceiver 214, a GNSS transceiver 216, and anRF switch 218.

The communication system 200 may comprise the main processor 202, thememory 204, the baseband processor 206, the plurality of antenna 208 a,. . . , 208 b, the Bluetooth RF transceiver 210, the WiFi RF transceiver212, the WiMAX transceiver 214, the GNSS transceiver 216, and the RFswitch 218. The communication system 200 may also comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable receiving, transmitting,and processing RF signals. For example, the communication system 200 maybe integrated within a device, for example the host device 102, toenable RF signal transmission and/or reception, during WiFi and/orBluetooth communication, for example, via the WLAN link 112 and/or theWPAN link 114, respectively.

The main processor 202 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/orcode that may enable control and/or data processing operations in thecommunication system 200. The main processor 202 may be utilized tocontrol at least a portion of the memory 204, the baseband processor206, the Bluetooth RF transceiver 210, the WiFi RF transceiver 212, theWiMAX transceiver 214, the GNSS transceiver 216, and/or the RF switch218. In this regard, the main processor 202 may generate at least onesignal for controlling operations within the communication system 200.The main processor 202 may also enable execution of applications thatmay be utilized by the communication system 200. For example, the mainprocessor 202 may execute applications that may enable displaying and/orinteracting with content received via RF signals in the communicationsystem 200. The main processor 202 may also comprise suitable logic,circuitry, and/or code that may enable baseband frequency signalsprocessing. In this regard, the main processor 202 may process and/orhandle signals received from the Bluetooth RF transceiver 210, the WiFiRF transceiver 212, the WiMAX transceiver 214, and/or the GNSStransceiver 216; and/or signals that may be transmitted via theBluetooth RF transceiver 210, the WiFi RF transceiver 212, the WiMAXtransceiver 214, and/or the GNSS transceiver 216.

The memory 204 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code thatmay enable storage of data, code, and/or other information utilized bythe communication system 200. For example, the memory 204 may beutilized for storing processed data generated, and/or execution codethat may be utilized by the main processor 202. The memory 204 may alsobe utilized to store information, such as configuration information,that may be utilized to control the operation of at least a portion ofthe communication system 200. For example, the memory 204 may compriseinformation necessary to configure the Bluetooth RF transceiver 210, theWiFi RF transceiver 212, the WiMAX transceiver 214, and/or the GNSStransceiver 216, to enable reception and/or transmission of RF signalsin appropriate frequency bands.

The baseband processor 206 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,and/or code that may be adapted to process received baseband signals viaRF transceivers. The baseband processor 206 also may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may be adapted to process basebandsignals for transmission via RF transceivers. For example, the basebandprocessor 206 may be utilized to process baseband signals transmittedand/or received via the Bluetooth RF transceiver 210, the WiFi RFtransceiver 212, the WiMAX transceiver 214, and/or the GNSS transceiver216 in the communication system 200. Although the baseband processor 206may be depicted as a single block, the invention need not be so limited.Accordingly, other embodiments of the invention may comprise a pluralityof baseband processors for processing signals to and/or from availableRF transceivers.

Each of plurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable reception and/ortransmission of RF signals within certain bandwidths. For example, theone or more of the plurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b may enableRF transmission and/or reception via the 2.4 GHz, which may be suitablefor Bluetooth and/or WiFi RF transmissions and/or receptions. Theplurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b may be communicatively coupledto the RF switch 218.

The Bluetooth RF transceiver 210 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,and/or code that may enable processing of transmitted and/or receivedBluetooth RF signals via, for example, the RF switch 218 and one or moreof the plurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b. For example, theBluetooth RF transceiver 210 may enable receiving of RF signals at, forexample, approximately the 2.4 GHz frequency band. In this regard, theBluetooth RF transceiver 210 may be enabled to generate signals, such aslocal oscillator signals, for the reception and processing of BluetoothRF signals. The Bluetooth RF transceiver 210 may be enabled to performnecessary conversions between received RF signals and baseband frequencysignals that may be proceed via digital baseband processors, forexample. The Bluetooth RF transceiver 210 may perform directdown-conversion of the received RF signals to a baseband frequencysignal, for example. In some instances, the Bluetooth RF transceiver 210may enable analog-to-digital conversion of baseband signal componentsbefore transferring the components to digital baseband processors. TheBluetooth RF transceiver 210 may also enable transmission of BluetoothRF signals via the RF switch 218 and/or the plurality of antenna 208 a,. . . , 208 b at, for example, approximately 2.4 GHz frequency bandand/or other designated frequency band. In this regard, the Bluetooth RFtransceiver 210 may be enabled to generate signals, such as localoscillator signals, for the transmission and/or processing of Bluetoothsignals. The Bluetooth RF transceiver 210 may be enabled to performnecessary conversions between baseband frequency signals, generated viadigital baseband processors for example, and transmitted RF signals. Insome instances, the Bluetooth RF transceiver 210 may enabledigital-to-analog conversion of baseband signals components.

The WiFi RF transceiver 212 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,and/or code that may enable processing of transmitted and/or receivedWiFi signals via, for example, the RF switch 218 and one or more of theplurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b. For example, the WiFi RFtransceiver 212 may enable receiving RF signals at, for example,approximately the 2.4 GHz frequency band. In this regard, the WiFi RFtransceiver 212 may be enabled to generate signals, such as localoscillator signals, for the reception and processing of WiFi signals.The WiFi RF transceiver 212 may be enabled to perform necessaryconversions between received RF signals and baseband frequency signalsthat may be processed via one or more digital baseband processors, forexample. The WiFi RF transceiver 212 may be enabled to perform directconversion of the received RF signals to a baseband frequency signal,for example. In some instances, the WiFi RF transceiver 212 may enableanalog-to-digital conversion of baseband signal components beforetransferring the components to digital baseband processors. The WiFi RFtransceiver 212 may also enable transmission of WiFi signals at, forexample, approximately 2.4 GHz frequency band. In this regard, the WiFiRF transceiver 212 may be enabled to generate signals, such as localoscillator signals, for the transmission and processing of WiFi signals.The WiFi RF transceiver 212 may be enabled to perform necessaryconversions between baseband frequency signals, generated via digitalbaseband processors for example, and transmitted RF signals. In someinstances, the WiFi RF transceiver 212 may enable digital-to-analogconversion of baseband signals components.

The WiMAX RF transceiver 214 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,and/or code that may enable processing of transmitted and/or receivedWiMAX based signals via, for example, the RF switch 218 and one or moreof the plurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b. For example, the WiMAXRF transceiver 214 may enable receiving and/or transmitting RF signalsin the 2-66 GHz frequency range via WiMAX connections, through the WLANlink 102 for example. In this regard, the WiMAX RF transceiver 214 maybe enabled to generate signals, such as local oscillator signals, forthe reception and processing of WiMAX signals. The WiMAX RF transceiver214 may be enabled to perform necessary conversions between received RFsignals and baseband frequency signals that may be processed via one ormore digital baseband processors, for example.

The WiMAX RF transceiver 214 may be enabled to perform direct conversionof the received RF signals to a baseband frequency signal, for example.In some instances, the WiMAX RF transceiver 214 may enableanalog-to-digital conversion of baseband signal components beforetransferring the components to digital baseband processors. The WiMAX RFtransceiver 214 may also be enabled to generate signals, such as localoscillator signals, for the transmission and processing of WiMAXsignals. The WiMAX RF transceiver 214 may be enabled to performnecessary conversions between baseband frequency signals, generated viadigital baseband processors for example, and transmitted RF signals. Insome instances, the WiMAX RF transceiver 214 may enabledigital-to-analog conversion of baseband signals components.

The GNSS transceiver 216 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/orcode that may enable processing of received and/or transmitted GNSSbased signals via, for example, the RF switch 218 and one or more of theplurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b. For example, the GNSStransceiver 216 may enable receiving GPS, GLONASS, and/or Galileo basedsatellite signals. In this regard, the GNSS transceiver 216 may beenabled to generate signals, such as local oscillator signals, for thereception and processing of GNSS signals. The GNSS transceiver 216 maybe enabled to perform necessary conversions between received GNSSsignals and baseband frequency signals that may be processed via one ormore digital baseband processors, for example. The GNSS transceiver 216may be enabled to perform direct conversion of the received GNSS signalsto a baseband frequency signal, for example. In some instances, the GNSStransceiver 216 may enable analog-to-digital conversion of basebandsignal components before transferring the components to digital basebandprocessors.

The RF switch 218 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or codethat may enable switching and/or routing of signals generated and/orprocessed via the Bluetooth RF transceiver 210, the WiFi RF transceiver212, the WiMAX transceiver 214, and/or the GNSS transceiver 216, whichmay be transmitted and/or received via one or more of the plurality ofantenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b.

In operation, the communication system 200 may enable RF transmissionand/or reception pertaining to different wireless and/or wiredinterfaces and/or protocols. The main processor 202, the memory 204, andthe baseband processor 206 may be utilized to control and/or support RFcommunication and/or signal processing via the communication system 200.For example, WiFi signals may be received and/or transmitted via one ormore of the plurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b, the RF switch218, and the WiFi RF transceiver 212. The transmitted and/or receivedWiFi signals may be converted from and/or to baseband signals, which maybe processed via the baseband processor 206. Bluetooth RF signals may bereceived and/or transmitted via one or more of the plurality of antenna208 a, . . . , 208 b, the RF switch 218, and the Bluetooth RFtransceiver 210. The transmitted and/or received Bluetooth RF signalsmay be converted from and/or to baseband signals, which may be processedvia the baseband processor 206. WiMAX RF signals may be received and/ortransmitted via one or more of the plurality of antenna 208 a, . . . ,208 b, the RF switch 218, and the WiMAX RF transceiver 214. Thetransmitted and/or received WiMAX RF signals may be converted fromand/or to baseband signals, which may be processed via the basebandprocessor 206. GNSS signals may be received and/or transmitted via oneor more of the plurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b, the RF switch218, and the GNSS transceiver 216. The received GNSS signals may then beconverted to baseband signals, which may be processed via the basebandprocessor 206.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the communication system200 may be integrated in host device, for example the host device 102,to enable performing management of sniff communication that may beperformed during use of HID devices, and/or necessary switching amongavailable wireless interfaces during RF transmission and/or receptionpertaining to supported wireless interfaces. A host device, for examplethe host device 102, may set up ‘sniff’ communication to enable checkingfor and/or detecting of activity by users of one or more HID devices,for example the HID device 104. For example, the communication system200 may enable transmission of sniff packets, over Bluetooth interface,by the Bluetooth RF transceiver 212, via the RF switch 218 and theplurality of antenna 208 a, . . . , 208 b.

The communication system 200 may also enable managing the sniffcommunication, for example via the main processor 202, the memory 204,and/or the baseband processor 206. For example, the communication system200 may enable setting up sniff intervals, wherein sniff packets may betransmitted at predetermined intervals to poll for activity in HIDdevices. The communication system 200 may also enable prioritization oftraffic. For example, the communication system 200 may be operable todesignate sniff packets as high priority exchange traffic. The sniffpackets that are designated as high priority exchange may preempt otherpacket communication performed via the communication system 200,including, for example, WiFi packet communication by the WiFi RFtransceiver 210, via the RF switch 218 and the plurality of antenna 208a, . . . , 208 b. The transmission of high priority request sniffpackets at the end of the sniff intervals, therefore, may affect theWiFi communication throughput in the communication system 200 becausethe sniff packets may be transmitted at the expense of WiFi packets.However, because use of HID devices may be inconsistent and/or sporadic,wherein bursts of activity by the user may be inter-spaced with longperiods of inaction, the use of constant sniff intervals with strictlyhigh priority request transmission may be inefficient and/orunnecessary.

The communication system 200 may be enabled to adjust thecharacteristics of sniff communication, based on prediction ordetermining future use of HID devices. For example, the prediction maybe determined by monitoring current activity of the HID devices via theHID based interfaces, to improve communication throughput via otherwireless interfaces. For example, the communication system 200 may beenabled to modify the length of sniff intervals and/or the high priorityrequest designation, via the main processor 202 for example. Thus, thecommunication system 200 may be enabled to dynamically adjust the lengthof sniff intervals to be, wherein the WiFi transceiver 210 may beinterrupted less frequently during WiFi transmission and/or receptionoperations the communication system 200 may be enabled designated,dynamically, only some of the sniff packets as high priority requestcommunication, wherein transmission and/or reception of WiFi packets,for example, the WiFi transceiver 210 may be preempted less frequentlypreempt transmission of sniff packets.

In an embodiment of the invention, the communication system 200 may alsobe enabled to allow re-programmability of predication based processingoperations. For example, the main processor 202, the memory 204, thebaseband processor 206, the WiFi RF transceiver 210, and/or theBluetooth RF transceiver 212 may be reprogrammable with modified and/orupdated data and/or instructions that may modify management the sniffcommunication via the communication system 200. The adjustment of thecharacteristics of the sniff communication and/or the predicationrelated functionality, for example, may be modified, updated, and/ordeleted. The initiation of the reprogramming of communication system200, and/or the data and/or instruction utilized during thereprogrammability may be communicated to and/or from the host device 102via any of the available interfaces, including, for example, the WLANlink 102.

Modifications and/or adjustments of sniff communication may also causechanges in the characteristics of other wireless interfaces in hostdevices. For example, increasing duration of intervals between sniffpackets and/or priority of the sniff packets may be determined, via themain processor 202 for example, to allow improved throughput of otherwireless interfaces, for example via the WLAN link 112. Consequently,the main processor 202 may be enabled to adjust the characteristics ofWiFi interface within the host device 102, for example, to utilize therealized improvement in throughput. Alternatively, the system 200 mayenable communicating to other device the expected changes in wirelessinterfaces as a result of adjustments made to the sniff communication.For example, the system 200, where integrated within the host device102, may enable communicating possible impact on WLAN link 112, as aresult of the sniff communication adjustments, to the access point 110,which may then utilize the increased throughput via the wireless network106.

FIG. 3A is a flow chart that illustrates sniff management in a systemthat supports HID capable wireless interfaces, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3A, there is shown a flowchart 300 comprising a plurality of exemplary steps, which may enablemanaging sniff communication via HID capable interfaces.

In step 302, activity on HID capable wireless interfaces may bemonitored in a host device. For example, the host device 102 may beenabled, via the communication system 200, to monitor activity via theHID device 104, based on transmission and/or reception via the WPAN link114, which may be performed via the Bluetooth transceiver 212. Theactivity of the Bluetooth transceiver 212 may be monitored in thecommunication system 200, via the main processor 202 for example, totrack HID based communication and/or assess corresponding HID basedactivity. The host device 102 may also set up ‘sniff’ communication toenable checking for and/or detecting of activity by users via the HIDdevice 104, substantially as described with respect to FIG. 1 and FIG.2. In step 304, future uses and/or activities via an HID device may bedetermined or predicted. For example, the host device 102, viacommunication system 200 for example, may be enabled to determine likelyfuture use of the HID device 104 based on monitored HID based activity.The main processor 202 in the communication system 200, for example, maybe enabled to analyze HID communication related information, which maybe determined via the Bluetooth transceiver 212, and may be enabled toperformed necessary predications of future activity via HID capableinterfaces in the communication system 200. The main processor 202 maybe pre-programmed to perform the necessary prediction processingoperations. The main processor 202 may also be enabled to allowre-programmability of predication based processing operations. In step306, a determination whether to adjust characteristics of sniffcommunication may be performed. For example, the host device 102 maydetermine, via the communication system 200 substantially as describedin FIG. 2, whether the length of sniff intervals and/or the need fordesignating all sniff packets as high priority request communication maybe altered, based on determination of the future use of the HID device104. In instances where it may be determined that no change in thecharacteristics of sniff communication is necessary, the exemplary stepsmay return to step 302.

Returning to step 306, in instances where it may be determined thatchange in the characteristics of sniff communication is necessary, theexemplary steps may proceed to step 308. In step 308, thecharacteristics of sniff communication may be modified. For example, thehost device 102 may be enabled, via the communication system 200, tomodify the length of sniff intervals and/or the high priority requestdesignation, based on the determination of future use of the HID device102, substantially as described, for example, with respect to FIG. 2.The exemplary steps may then return to step 302.

FIG. 3B is a flow chart that illustrates management of other wirelessinterfaces in a system that supports sniff communication via HID capablewireless interfaces, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Referring to FIG. 3B, there is shown a flow chart 350 comprising aplurality of exemplary steps, which may enable managing of otherwireless interfaces during sniff communication via HID capableinterfaces.

In step 352, sniff modifications and/or adjustments may be made. Forexample, the host device 102 may be enabled to make adjustments and/ormodifications to sniff communication, transmitted and/or received viathe WPAN link 114, substantially as described, for example, with respectto FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A. In step 354, a determination of impact on anotherwireless interface may be made. For example, where sniff communication,via WPAN link 114, may be adjusted in host device 102, a determinationmay be made whether the adjustments to the sniff communication mayimpact the WLAN link 114. The changes to the sniff communication may,for example, cause potential increase in the throughput in WiFiinterface.

In step 356, a determination whether the wireless interface, potentiallyimpacted by sniff communication adjustment, is located within the hostdevice or not may be made. In instances where the impacted wirelessinterface is integrated within the host device, the exemplary steps mayproceed to step 358. In step 358, the adjustments to the impactedwireless interface may be made. For example, in instances where it maybe determined in the host device 102 that sniff communicationadjustments may impact the WLAN link 114, a WiFi interface for example,in the host device 102, utilized to communicate via the WLAN link 114may be modified, adjusted or reconfigured.

Returning to step 356, in instances where the impacted wirelessinterface is external to the host device, the exemplary steps mayproceed to step 360. In step 360, the impact on the other wirelessinterface may be communicated to other devices where the wirelessinterface may be located. For example, where it may be determined in thehost device 102 that sniff communication adjustments may impact the WLANlink 114, the host device 102 may communicate possible impact to theaccess point 110. The access point 110 may then adjust the WLAN basedinterfaces based on the communicated impact.

In step 362, a determination whether other wireless interfaces, that maybe potentially impacted by sniff communication adjustment, remain may bemade. In instances where it may be determined that no other wirelessinterfaces remain, the exemplary steps may terminate. In instances whereit may be determined that some other wireless interfaces may remain, theexemplary steps may loop back to step 354.

Various embodiments of the invention may comprise a method and systemfor Bluetooth HID activity prediction for wireless coexistencethroughput optimization. The host device 104 may be enabled, via thecommunication system 200, to support a plurality of wireless interfaces,wherein one or more of these wireless interfaces may be utilized tosupport human interface device (HID) based communication with the HIDdevice 104. The host device 102 may be enabled to monitor activity ofthe HID device 104 based on communications via the HID capable wirelessinterfaces and may predict future use of the HID device 104 based on themonitoring.

The host device may be enabled to manage, via the communication system200, sniff communication which may be utilized in the host device 102,via available HID capable interfaces, to track and/or detect activitiesin the HID device 104. The management of the sniff communication maycomprise adjusting characteristics of the sniff communication to improveand/or optimize throughput of other wireless interfaces available viathe host device 102, wherein the dependency between the HID capableinterfaces and the other wireless interfaces may be based on proximityof the frequencies used to transmit and/or receive via the wirelessinterfaces. The HID capable interfaces may comprise wireless personalarea network (WPAN) interfaces, which may comprise Bluetooth interfaces.The other wireless interfaces may comprise wireless local area network(WLAN) based interfaces, which may comprise WiFi interfaces. Theadjustment of the characteristics of the sniff communication maycomprise adjusting, statically and/or dynamically, a length of sniffintervals and/or designating of sniff packets as high priority requests.

Another embodiment of the invention may provide a machine and/orcomputer readable storage and/or medium, having stored thereon, amachine code and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for BluetoothHID activity prediction for wireless coexistence throughputoptimization.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware,software, or a combination of hardware and software. The presentinvention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least onecomputer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind ofcomputer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware may be a general-purpose computer system with a computerprogram that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computersystem such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: predicting human activity ofa human interface device that is communicatively coupled to a hostdevice via a host wireless interface; and managing sniff communicationby the host device based on said prediction.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein managing sniff communication comprises: managing transmission ofsniff packets to the human interface device via the host wirelessinterface.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein managing transmission ofsniff packets comprises: adjusting at least one of a priority oftransmission of the sniff packets, a length of transmission of the sniffpackets, and an interval between transmissions of the sniff packets. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein predicting human activity comprises:predicting human activity of the human interface device based onmonitoring of past activities of the human interface device.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the host wireless interface includes at leastone of a wireless personal area network (WPAN) interface and a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) interface.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe WPAN interface includes a Bluetooth interface.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the human interface device comprises a computer mouse,a touchscreen device, an audio input device, or a keyboard device. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein predicting human activity furthercomprises: predicting human activity of the human interface device basedon monitoring of past spatial movements of the human interface device,the spatial movements including at least one of distance, speed,velocity and acceleration of the human interface device.
 9. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: managing a transmission or a receptionvia the host wireless interface based on said prediction.
 10. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: using the sniff communication by thehost device in at least one of detecting or tracking the human activityof the human interface device.
 11. A system comprising: one or morecircuits in a host device configured to: predict human activity of ahuman interface device that is communicatively coupled to the hostdevice via a host wireless interface; and manage sniff communication bythe host device based on said prediction.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein the sniff communication comprises transmission of sniff packetsto the human interface device via the host wireless interface.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the one or more circuits are configured tomanage the sniff communication by being further configured to: adjust atleast one of a priority of transmission of the sniff packets, a lengthof transmission of the sniff packets, and an interval betweentransmissions of the sniff packets.
 14. The system of claim 11, whereinthe one or more circuits are configured to predict the human activity bybeing further configured to: predict human activity of the humaninterface device based on monitoring of past activities of the humaninterface device.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the host wirelessinterface includes at least one of a wireless personal area network(WPAN) interface and a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface. 16.The system of claim 15, wherein the WPAN interface includes a Bluetoothinterface.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the human interfacedevice comprises a computer mouse, a touchscreen device, an audio inputdevice, or a keyboard device.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein theone or more circuits are configured to predict the human activity bybeing further configured to: predict human activity of the humaninterface device based on monitoring of past spatial movements of thehuman interface device, the spatial movements including at least one ofdistance, speed, velocity and acceleration of the human interfacedevice.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more circuits arefurther configured to: use the sniff communication to at least one ofdetect or track the human activity of the human interface device.
 20. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereoncomputer-executable instructions, execution of which by a computingdevice cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:predicting human activity of a human interface device that iscommunicatively coupled to a host device via a host wireless interface;and managing sniff communication by the host device based on saidprediction.
 21. A method comprising: predicting human activity of ahuman interface device that is communicatively coupled to a host devicevia a host wireless interface; adjusting sniff communication by the hostdevice based on said prediction; and determining impact of the adjustedsniff communication on a second wireless interface.
 22. The method ofclaim 21, further comprising: adjusting the second wireless interfacebased on the determined impact, wherein the second wireless interface iswithin the host device.
 23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:communicating the determined impact to a device associated with thesecond wireless interface, wherein the second wireless interface isoutside the host device.